IN THE absence of Rangers, Celtic boss Neil Lennon insists some of his stars are just going through the motions.

IF everyone tells you often enough you’re going to win the league title by the proverbial mile then it seeps into the subconscious and has a negative effect.

There was a time when the consequence
of a draw against the newly-promoted club would have been for Celtic to
concern themselves with what effect this would have on the gap between them and Rangers.

But Rangers aren’t there any more and Neil Lennon says some of his players are just going through the motions in their absence.

That’s a euphemistic phrase that actually means Celtic were disrespectful to Ross County by believing they only had to turn up to win against them.

Derek Adams’ side worked hard for the duration of the game and Celtic didn’t.

County grafted for their draw. Celtic got a share of the points because of a goalkeeper’s mistake in the dying seconds of a game in which they were second best from start to finish.

Unless there’s a psychological transformation on the park and a medical solution to injury problems off
it, Celtic will struggle against Helsingborgs tomorrow night and endanger their prospects of reaching the Champions League group stage.

Either way there will need to be an increase in performance level as lack of effort one day is no preparation for a much bigger day to come.

The
manager started his press conference after the game by saying he was “delighted” and “really pleased” by his team’s performance.

Then
he systematically tore his side’s display to shreds. He accused them of
being sloppy in front of goal and while in possession of the ball.

He suggested they couldn’t cut County open because some were going through the motions.

And he declared himself upset about the number of chances missed, saying his players had lacked urgency and needed to be more professional than they had been against the Highlanders.

Precisely what there was to be delighted and pleased about after the critical assessment of his team’s performance is hard to know.

Talk of players who were missing should have been redundant for the reason the 11 who started the game for Celtic ought to have been more than capable of beating the earnest but not as gifted side they faced.

There
is an undeniable case to be made for saying James Forrest gives Celtic something in the wide areas nobody else in the squad can.

Scott Brown has a drive from midfield that will never be surpassed by any of those who play in the captain’s absence.

And Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper were responsible for a highly creditable 50 goals between them for Celtic last season.

The four of them were conspicuous
by their absence at the weekend but only because the ones who played in
their places so obviously lacked the enthusiasm for the occasion.

County have now gone 37 league games in a row without defeat and are a credit to their club.

They were lively while Celtic were lethargic and there was nothing mysterious about the outcome.

Adams’
side missed the biggest sitter of the afternoon when Stuart Kettlewell somehow managed to head an absolute gift past the post.

County took the lead with a contender for goal of the season as Richie Brittain
rifled a free-kick beyond a helpless Fraser Forster.

Celtic’s keeper was also motionless when a Brittain shot thudded against the cross bar instead of going in and assuring victory.

What saved Celtic in the end was a shot from sub striker Tony Watt that ought to have been held by County keeper Michael Fraser.

He spilled the ball and Kris Commons was handed an unmissable chance to equalise as the referee was thinking about blowing for full-time.

Adams complained about the length of time added and fumed over an incident where the ball was out of play and he took too long to throw it back.

But it was fate, not additional time, that got him and his team.

Celtic
played three at the back against one man up front for the opposition. But Mikael Lustig and Charlie Mulgrew never made the most of that freedom while Kelvin Wilson attended to defensive duties.

Victor
Wanyama set an SPL record for getting caught in possession in the middle of the park and there was a general lack of creativity and pace from middle to front for Celtic.

County,
meanwhile, are all about work ethic and if former Celt Derek Riordan can be persuaded to join them he’ll need to find a greater capacity for hard graft.

Adams said: “We’ll be speaking to his agents in the next few days.

“I
thought we handled Celtic well, it was a very good performance from us.
We’ve now gone three SPL games undefeated and I have to be delighted about that.”

Celtic have time to recover from indifferent ways in the league but Europe is another matter. The Europa League is assured but the Champions League is what the club and their fans crave.

The side
suffers from a real need to get their finger out and start aspiring to the capability level they know they’re equipped to reach.

Celtic return to the Highlands on Saturday to face Inverness. They will need to show a larger appetite for
a battle of wills than they did against Caley’s neighbours.